Yellowstone Day 1

On Father's Day after church we drove to Blackfoot for a barbecue with Grandpa. We met up will cousins including the Ferlans and Webbs and had a nice time. We tried to get the kids to bed by 9 o'clock, though, becuase we wanted to head out early to see a new part of Yellowstone called Cascade Corner.

Mom ate at the table with the little cousins.

These bigger kids like to hang together.

It was fun to be with my dad on Father's Day!

On Monday morning we got up early and drove to Cave Falls. It was a long dirt road, but it wasn't too far from Ashton, and we were lucky enough to spot a moose and her calf. They were pretty far away, and they moved down the hill and out of sight before we got a picture, but they were still fun to check off our Bingo sheet. We even stopped at the Bechler Ranger Station, which is a shuttered kiosk with the ranger standing outside. Of course, we took a picture by a park new sign, too.

Mom has to stop for all the wildflower fields.

We were excited to be in a whole different part of Yellowstone.

When we arrived at the waterfall, we were prepared for it to be the longest in Yellowstone, but we didn't know how high it would be. It was only about 10 feet, but it was still impressive. We took a few pictures and even spotted a few frogs. Then we ventured up to the top of the falls. Surprisingly, we hadn't found the correct waterfall at all. The reall falls was farther up the river, and it was really impressive! Dad declared it his favorite waterfall in Yellowstone, and everyone agreed it was pretty cool. 

This was the first waterfall that we thought was Cave Falls.

We took all the pictures and then looked a little further up the river.

Cave Falls was definitely worth the drive.

It was an impressive waterfall. Mark was a trooper with his cast.

This is Dad's new favorite Yellowstone waterfall.

The waterfall is so loud!

We saw a bunch of frogs.

We also enjoyed Cave Falls from the top.

We sat in the shade at the top of the waterfall and munched on sandwiches while the mosquitoes munched on us. Finally, the boys retreated to the car to eat in peace. Then we started down the trail to Bechler Falls. 

The walk turned out to be nicer than the waterfall, which wasn't nearly as impressive as Cave Falls. We looked for a little while, and then continued up the trail to an open meadow. We spotted a bald eagle and an osprey, and a deer even walked out on the meadow for us. Best of all, we didn't see a soul along the trail. 

Mom and Dad were the only ones who braved the bugs.

The Bechler Falls trail hiked right along the river.

There were so many rocks to climb.

Bechler Falls was not as impressive as Cave Falls.

We enjoyed the slow river section and the meadow.

Dad loved the peacefulness of this area.

And Dax and Seth found a pregnant tree.

We bumped into Melanie after Cave Falls and headed to Mesa Falls together. We walked down to the large waterfall and took a few pictures before heading to meet everyone else in Island Park.

Melanie and Mom with their kids.

Mesa Falls is such a great waterfall.

We checked into the bunkhouse in Island Park, and it had been entirely remodeled. There are wall-to-wall queen beds in two large rooms (a total of 22) and a new elevator. The kids all claimed their beds and we stocked the small kitchen. Then we headed out to dinner.

Dinner was a show and a play at the Yellowstone Playhouse. We had all the meat, salad, and beans we could hold. Then they brought us an ice cream sandwich for dessert. After we'd eaten, we turned our chairs around to the stage. We laughed until we cried at the exploits of Robin Hood in Rottingham. The show was so much fun! We also ordered cinnamon rolls and huckleberry floats at intermission because we were having such a good time. Though we got to bed late, it was a day of new and fun adventures for all!

We had front row seats.

We all laughed so much at this super fun playhouse.